Procedures for Sabbatical Leave Proposal

University at Albany Policy Statement on Sabbatical Leaves

SUNY Policies provide for sabbatical leaves for the professional development of faculty and professional staff.
The objective of a sabbatical leave is to increase an employee’s contributions to the University to improve and enrich its programs, and to support professional development.

Such leave shall not be regarded as a reward for service, or as a vacation or rest period, occurring automatically at stated intervals. Sabbatical leaves shall be granted for planned travel, study, formal education, research, writing or other experience of professional value.

Faculty with continuing appointments who have completed at least six consecutive years of service within the University — or who, if they have previously had a sabbatical leave, have completed six consecutive years of service since they returned from that leave — are eligible. In computing consecutive years of service for this purpose, leaves at less than full pay, leaves without pay and part- time service are not included. However, these do not constitute a break in otherwise consecutive service.

Sabbaticals may be granted for one year at rates not to exceed one-half basic annual salary or for one semester at rates not to exceed full basic annual salary. Employees do not earn or use leave accruals while on sabbatical. Upon return from sabbatical leave, faculty members are expected to file a detailed report of professional activities and accomplishments while on the leave. (Article XIII, Title E, SUNY Policies of the Board of Trustees)

These policies are reaffirmed in the applicable Agreement between the State of New York and United University Professions (Article 23.6, 2022-2026 Agreement).

Apply for Sabbatical Leave

Eligibility

There are two types of sabbatical leave as provided in Article XIII, Title E of the Policies of the Board of Trustees:

Sabbatical leave for one year at up to half salary.
Sabbatical leave for one-semester at up to full salary.

Employees on sabbatical leave may, with the prior approval of the Provost, accept fellowships, grants-in- aid or earned income to assist in accomplishing the purposes of their leaves. In such cases, the Provost may adjust sabbatical leave salaries to reflect such income. In no case shall the sabbatical leave salary be reduced if total earnings are less than full salary. Changes to income that occur after the initial sabbatical approval must be reported to the Provost’s Office.

The following types of employees are eligible for sabbatical leave: academic employees having continuing appointment and managerial/confidential employees with the title of vice president or dean who have completed at least six consecutive years of service within the University or who, if they previously had a sabbatical leave, have completed at least six consecutive years within the University from the date of return from their last sabbatical leave.

In computing consecutive years of service for the purpose of determining eligibility, periods of leaves of absence, other than vacation leave and sick leave with salary, and periods of part-time service shall not be included, but shall not be deemed an interruption of otherwise consecutive service.

Deadlines

To assist planning for both faculty members and the institution, applicants must submit a full proposal with all required documentation to their dean’s office by the School/College deadline for proposed leaves starting the following academic year. Completed proposals must be submitted by Dean's Office staff to the Provost's Office via HRTS by December 2.

Proposals submitted after December 2 will only be considered if they relate to an unanticipated contingency. For example, an unexpected prestigious fellowship or an unusual research result that requires more immediate follow-up. Any proposals initiated after December 2 must include a statement justifying the late initiation.

Application Process

Eligible employees may apply to the Provost for sabbatical leave through their applicable Department Chair and Dean. Note: The application must be advanced at all stages of review, regardless of the recommendation.

Step 1: Notification

The employee must notify their supervisor in writing of their intention to apply for sabbatical by any departmental deadline such that all required documentation can submitted to the Dean’s Office by the School/College deadline.

Step 2: Proposal

The employee submits a full proposal to their supervisor by their unit's internal deadline, to include the following documents:

Proposed Activities in the Format of Appendix A: A document describing proposed activities for the leave period, including the anticipated outcomes of the proposed activities, as well as their importance to the University’s mission and the applicant’s professional development
Statement of Other Income: A statement identifying any anticipated income other than salary from the campus while on leave or a statement attesting there will be no other income
Obligation to Return: A statement acknowledging an obligation to return to the University at Albany for a minimum of one year at the conclusion of the leave
Supporting Materials: Any supporting materials (for example: copies of invitations from host institutions for a period of residency or other letters of support for proposed activities)
Curriculum Vitae: A current curriculum vitae
Report from Previous Sabbatical: If the candidate has taken a sabbatical leave previously, a copy of the report from that sabbatical leave must be included.

Step 3: Supervisor's Review

The employee's supervisor (typically the Department Chair) reviews the request and may ask for additional information and/or consult with others in evaluating the request. The Chair then submits the following to the Dean:

Chair’s Letter: A letter stating the Chair’s recommendation, describing the benefits/impact to the department and the applicant’s professional development, and a clearly articulated plan for covering the applicant's teaching and other responsibilities during the leave, with the number of student seats. If the sabbatical request is not supported by the Chair, the letter should explain the reasons for the negative recommendation.
- Note: It is expected that one-semester leaves will be covered on a load-absorbed basis for teaching and other service. Coverage for teaching, advising and service should be addressed in the Chair’s Letter.
Copies of all materials that were submitted by the applicant

Step 4: Dean's Review

The Dean reviews the request and submits the application via HRTS by December 2 with all the aforementioned documents attached as one PDF file. Sabbatical dates should be used in HRTS.

If the Dean agrees with the recommendation by the supervisor, indicate this in the comment box in HRTS and attach all materials that were submitted by the applicant and the applicant's supervisor. A letter from the Dean is not required if the Dean supports the supervisor’s recommendation.
If the Dean disagrees with the recommendation by the supervisor, the Dean should submit the above in HRTS and attach a letter describing their reasons for not supporting the recommendation of the supervisor.

Step 5: Provost's Review

The Provost reviews the application.

If the request is supported, the Provost, or a designee, will inform the Dean by email. In addition, the Provost's designee selects “Approve” in HRTS. HR will generate a leave confirming approval letter as the President’s designee and will send the letter to Dean’s Office for distribution.
If the request is not supported, the Provost will discusses decision with the Dean. The Provost, or a designee, will generate a leave denial letter and send it to the applicant, CCing their Chair, Dean and Personnel file. HR will place the letter in the applicant's personnel file for the record. Additionally, the Provost's designee selects “Deny” in HRTS, with the denial letter attached.

Requirements after a Sabbatical Leave

The faculty member must submit a written report describing outcomes and activities from the leave period, as required by Trustees' Policies.

The report should be submitted no later than the end of the semester following the leave (for example, the end of the Fall 2025 semester for a sabbatical in the Spring 2025 semester). Appendix B provides a template for the report. Chairs and Deans should ensure that the report content is adequate and appropriate.

The report must be submitted to the Department Chair (or the Dean, if there is no Department Chair):

Once the Chair reviews and approves the report, they will initiate a HRTS APC transaction (type: SABREPORT). They should enter an effective date (the date the report was received) and attach a copy of the report before submitting the HRTS request to the Dean.
The Dean reviews and approves the report, and submits to the Provost Office. The Provost office reviews and approves the report, and submits it to Human Resources. HR will maintain a copy of the final report and will enter the completion date in SUNYHR.

Note: Faculty should retain a copy of their last sabbatical report in a secure location to submit with their next sabbatical leave request. Failure to submit a post-sabbatical report will mean the faculty member is not eligible for future sabbatical leaves.

Additional Information

additional-information

Other Considerations

Requirement to Return to Campus: Applicants are required to acknowledge an obligation to return to the campus for a minimum of one year at the conclusion of their leave. Where justified, the President may request a waiver of this condition, which must be reviewed and approved by the Chancellor. If the faculty member fails to return for the minimum period, then they are obligated to reimburse all salary paid during the leave.

Extra Service, Stipends & Administrative Roles: Extra service and administrative stipends will not be allowed while on Sabbatical. Administrative appointments shall cease for the duration of the sabbatical.

Sabbatical Plan Changes: All changes to an approved sabbatical plan must be approved, in writing, by the Provost as soon as such need is known. In the event of illness or other unplanned circumstances that interrupt an approved sabbatical, the faculty member shall notify Human Resources and the Provost’s Office and will be placed on another leave as appropriate, when in the discretion of the Provost such action is in the best interest of the University and the employee.

Sabbatical Dates

**One semester (Full pay)**
Semester	Sabbatical dates	Payroll Start Date	Payroll End Date
Fall	Start of fall semester classes to December 31	Beginning of business September 1	Close of business March 2
Spring	Start of spring semester classes to May 31	Beginning of business March 3	Close of business August 31

**Academic year (50% pay)**
Semester	Sabbatical dates	Payroll Start Date	Payroll End Date
Fall & Spring	Start of fall semester classes to May 31	Beginning of business September 1	Close of business August 31
Spring & Fall	Start of spring semester classes to December 31	Beginning of business January 1	Close of business December 31

Appendix A: Sabbatical Request

Provide an introduction:
1. Name and Title
2. Department and School/College
3. Semester(s) of sabbatical
4. Location(s) of sabbatical
Explain your planned sabbatical activities:
1. Describe the goals, activities and deliverables of your sabbatical.
2. Provide details about the planned outcomes of your sabbatical, including grants that will be submitted, publications, presentations, and other creative and scholarly works that you expect will result from the sabbatical.
Describe how your project will be of personal benefit to your professional development and scholarly or creative trajectory, and how the sabbatical will contribute to your future contributions to UAlbany. Include, as relevant, new skills, scholarly collaborations, curriculum development and/or benefits to community partners.
Note whether you will continue advising doctoral students or students working on master's/undergraduate theses and, if not, whether there will be a replacement. Also indicate how you will notify students about your sabbatical and plans for advisement during this time.

Appendix B: Sabbatical Report

Provide an introduction:
1. Name and Title
2. Department and School/College
3. Semester(s) of sabbatical
4. Location(s) of sabbatical
5. Date post-sabbatical report was completed
Explain your sabbatical activities and accomplishments:
1. Describe the original goals, activities and deliverables of your sabbatical.
2. State whether these goals were accomplished. If not, describe what was modified from the original goals, why and what different tasks were undertaken.
3. Reflect on what was completed and accomplished during the sabbatical, providing a summary of professional activities you engaged in.
4. Document the outcomes of your sabbatical, including grants submitted, publications, presentations, and other creative and scholarly works resulting from the sabbatical.
Describe how your project was of personal benefit to your professional development and scholarly or creative trajectory, and how the sabbatical contributed to your future contributions to UAlbany. Include, as relevant, new skills, scholarly collaborations, curriculum development and/or benefits to community partners.